“Speaking of which,” Weylin continued, smirking at her, “do your duty and kill the traitor behind you. Even though you didn’t find my gold, you can at least kill the man who stole it.”
“She won’t kill him,” Renwell said, his voice slithering through the room. “She’s had days to do so under my orders.” His dark eyes found me, hatred pouring from his gaze. “I fear she’s come to care for the rebel assassin.”
Gods, if he were just a little closer, I’d rush forward and slit his throat like one of his sadistic Wolves.
Weylin’s face hardened. “Then she has failed me for the last time.” He nodded to Renwell. “Kill the traitorous whore.”
Renwell unsheathed a long sunstone sword. Kiera stumbled back, and I leapt for her.
But then Renwell whipped his sword through Weylin’s neck, severing his head from his shoulders.
Chapter 45
Kiera
I didn’t scream.
I didn’t scream as Renwell beheaded my father with one slice. I didn’t scream as my father’s body crumpled to the floor. Or when his head rolled to Renwell’s boots.
All the air had left my body. The room. The world. The candlelight whitened around my vision, Renwell a dark shadow in the center like the slitted pupil of a snake’s eye.
I fell to my knees. My heart thrashed against my chest.
Dead. Father is dead. Dead like Mother. Dead because he wanted her to be. Now he’s dead because of Renwell... Renwell...
“Why?” I choked out.
“I told you I would never let him execute you,” Renwell said softly.
He’d killed my father—his king—to save me?
Aiden shifted behind me, and I felt a sliver of worry for the wound leaking blood down his side. But that feeling was drowned out by a horrible reality. Everyone in this room had blood on their hands now. Nothing but blood. Father now lay in a sticky bed of it.
He was gone. His soul released. But no one uttered the prayer. Even I couldn’t form the words.
I stiffened. Gods, how would Everett and Delysia react? I hadn’t had time to check on them, hearing the commotion from Father’s room. I needed to find them.
Rising to my feet, I stepped forward shakily. “Let me pass, Renwell. I need to tell Everett and Delysia what happened. I need to make sure they’re all right.”
He didn’t answer me. Instead, he lowered his sunstone sword—a wicked weapon I’d never seen before—and threaded it through the crown that lay in a pool of my father’s blood.
A grin spread over his harsh features. He eased the stained crown off the sword and placed it on his head.
“What are you doing, Renwell?” I demanded, my voice punctured with disbelief.
He continued to smile at me and jerked his chin. A Wolf slinked to his side. “Secure the prince and princess and the rest of the palace. No one leaves.”
His words snapped something inside me, severed as quickly as Father’s neck. He had betrayed me, too. “Gods damn you to the deep, dark, wandering hell,” I snarled, flicking one of my knives at his throat.
His sword whipped in front of his face, shattering my knife like glass. I flung the next three so quickly, they whirred like hummingbirds. He slashed each one, but not fast enough to avoid the shards slicing across his face.
I roared in frustration and seized Mother’s knife from the floor.
“Cease!” Renwell thundered. “Or I will send my Wolves to cut the throats of your brother and sister.”
I froze, trembling. “You can’t do that.”
“I can and I will.” He tapped his sword on the marble floor. “I’ve been planning this for a long time, Kiera. There’s very little I won’t do.”
